Uganda Police Force (UPF) has threatened legal action against JESA Farm Dairy over its advert that the law and order agency says depicted its officers as corrupt.
JESA is one of the leading dairy products dealers in Uganda. Representing the initials for its founders Prof James Mulwana (RIP) and his wife Sarah, JESA began in 1987 with the couple and their workers selling milk to buyers on the farm.
The dairy products company now processes about 200,000 litres a day, according to its website. JESA products include milk, Dairy Yoghurt, Butter and Cream. The latest product is Jesa JUS.
As a way of marketing the Jesa JUS product, JESA Farm Dairy commissioned an ad in which a traffic offender silences a police officer on duty with Jesa JUS.
Police now says they are pondering legal action against JESA Farm Dairy over the Jesa JUS advert.
UPF spokesperson Fred Enanga says police wants the content in which the traffic officer is bribed removed or the entire ad recalled.
Here’s police’s full complaint as presented by Enanga:
POLICE TASKS JESA TO PULL DOWN CONTROVERSIAL COMMERCIAL ADVERT
The police leadership has strongly condemned the use of its traffic image, as content in a controversial commercial advert, of its juice, popularly known as “JESA JUS”. The TV Ad, deceptively suggests that a traffic officer, during a normal traffic enforcement routine, stopped a driver for inspection. But is immediately compromised, with a pack of JESA JUS, by the panicky driver and children, after which he left them to proceed without inspection in his words “You can go”, after taking the “JESA JUS”
The Ad made reference to the traffic police, as being corrupt and easily bribed by “JESA JUS”. The driver is seen, allegedly bribing a traffic officer with a packet of JESA JUS in front of children and lets them off the hook. It therefore, draws a link between the traffic officer, the driver and children. The driver and children are depicted as traffic violators.
It also promoted acts of bribery among children that you can easily buy your way out, once caught up in a compromising situation. And reinforce negative perceptions by children against police. The appearance of a lookalike traffic officer and the use of the police uniform without the express permission of the IGP is strictly prohibited, since it is fully gazetted.
In addition, the advert deceptively suggests that the police leadership endorses the product of “JESA JUS” and further supports, the campaign to market, sell and drink the product, which is not true.
As a result, we demand that the commercial firm, pulls out the traffic police content or the entire advert, and halts any further displays on TV, radios and other digital platforms. Failure to do so, will call for sanction in the civil court of law, by the Directorate of Legal and Human Rights Services.
We urge all intending marketers and Ad producers to always seek authorization or usage of the police image and content before producing a commercial advert.
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